Regional strategy (RSES) · Eastern and Midland Region
Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019–2031
The regional strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region, including the Dublin Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan.
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly · June 2019 · 244 pages
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- 9.6 Access to Childcare, Education and Health Services Successful places also support a wide range of services and facilities that meet local and strategic needs and contribute towards a good quality of life. These include facilities in relation to health, education, libraries, childcare, community centres, play, youth, recreation, sports, cultural facilities, policing, places of worship, burial grounds and emergency facilities. 73 Indecon International Economic Consultants Indecon Report on Support for Childcare for Working Families and Implications for Employment, Prepared for Donegal County Childcare Committee, November 2013 Social infrastructure plays an important role in developing strong and inclusive communities. The Regional Assembly supports enhanced co-ordination between local authorities, service providers and stakeholders including the local community through Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) to identify social infrastructure needs and to respond to population growth and changing demographics and the resulting demand for facilities. Social infrastructure should be easily accessible by walking, cycling and public transport. Shared use and co-location of facilities should be encouraged, in order to align service provision, use land more efficiently and facilitate opportunities for further inclusion and community participation. Childcare and Schools The RSES aims to address mis-alignment in the Region across a range of factors including school provision, facilities and child-friendly amenities. School provision is a key part of social infrastructure to be provided in tandem with housing provision. The RSES will seek to prioritise the alignment of targeted and planned population and employment growth with educational investment, including the provision of new schools on well-located sites within or close to existing built-up areas that meet the diverse needs of local populations. It is expected that the number of children will continue to increase until the mid 2020s and decline only slowly thereafter. This means that the continued provision and enhancement of facilities and amenities for children and young people, such as childcare, schools, playgrounds, parks and sportsgrounds, is a priority and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Optimally, schools need to be located along sustainable transport corridors (i.e. walking, cycling, public transport). Car dependency is a significant mode of school transport in the Region. As far as is practicable, in addition to factoring sustainable access as a condition for new schools and educational infrastructure, a programme of settlement retrofit is needed to facilitate safe walking, cycling or ease of access to public transport alternatives. Provision of quality affordable childcare places is critical, both developmentally for children and also as an effective labour market intervention. Affordability of childcare is a factor, particularly so for low-income families, and is deemed as a barrier to employment73. Through local authority county development plans and local area plan policy, co-ordinated decision making on school locations between the Department of Education and Skills and local authorities should be provided and a planned approach to education provision to locate new school facilities within access to public transport and active travel modes should be promoted. 211Quality of Life
- Third Level Education and Lifelong Learning Access to high quality education and training has an important role to play in developing sustainable and balanced communities in the Region. Third level institutions and higher education providers in the Region are a critical enabler of economic development, providing continuing professional development, advanced research, and facilities to support business growth and clustering. Universities are also vital in providing higher order skills necessary to attract and retain major international companies. Third level education should be complemented by further education and apprenticeship training. Higher education institutions play a key role in driving sustainable regional development. In a dynamic and fast paced skills environment, education and training providers are challenged to respond to workplace skills needs. Regional Skills Fora work in tandem with education providers and businesses to meet the emerging skills needs and to address any gaps in their respective regions. Education Training Boards (ETBs) deliver labour-market focused programmes delivering key skills to employers, supported by the Regional Skills Fora. ETBs also deliver a range of part time adult and community education programmes that provide a key pathway to participation in society. The development of multi-campus Technological Universities will lead the development of skills and talent in the Region. The RSES supports Athlone Institute of Technology in achieving its status as part of a Technological University by merging with a least one other Institute of Technology. The Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) comprising Dublin Institute of Technology and the Institutes of Technology in Tallaght and Blanchardstown, will drive research and innovation in the Dublin region. The EMRA will support the provision of high quality education and training provision, including the allocation of sufficient sites and the development of childcare facilities, schools, colleges and universities in appropriate locations to cater for population growth targets under the RSES, to provide for greater educational choice to facilitate improvement in skills, and to assist in tackling disadvantage. REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES: Childcare, Education and Life Long Learning RPO 9.20: Support investment in the sustainable development of the Region’s childcare services as an integral part of regional infrastructure to include: • Support the Affordable Childcare Scheme. • Quality and supply of sufficient childcare places. • Support initiatives under a cross Government Early Years Strategy. • Youth services that support and target disadvantaged young people and improve their employability. RPO 9.21: In areas where significant new housing is proposed, an assessment of need regarding schools provision should be carried out in collaboration with the Department of Education and Skills and statutory plans shall designate new school sites at accessible, pedestrian, cycle and public transport friendly locations. RPO 9.22 To support the role of Higher Education Institutions and Educational Training Boards in addressing skills shortages and life-long learning needs in the Region, and to support the further development of multi-campus Technological Universities to drive research and innovation. 212 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- Healthcare The availability and access to health services is central to creating healthier places. In addressing lifestyle induced illness and an aging population, the provision of educative and primary health care can support lifestyle adjustments that help people avoid tertiary care, leading to a more effective and less burdened health-care system. Gaps in the Region’s healthcare infrastructure, in particular the demand and capacity for primary care, acute care and social care services need to be addressed to meet the health care needs of a growing and ageing population, including the recommendations of the Trauma Steering Group – A Trauma System for Ireland. Enhancement of the quality of the built and natural environments can improve mental and physical health and reduce health inequalities and enable healthy choices to be made. This includes improved access to green spaces and the provision of new Green Infrastructure (see Chapter 7 Environment and Climate). REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES: Provision of Health Services RPO 9.23: Facilitate the development of primary health care centres, hospitals, clinics, and facilities to cater for the specific needs of an ageing population in appropriate urban areas in accordance with RSES settlement strategy and core strategies of development plans. 213Quality of Life
- 9.7 Access to Arts, Culture, Language and Heritage Culture, language and heritage are an integral part of Irish life. Their importance in society remains undiminished, from their deep intrinsic value, to their wider social import and benefit, and their economic potential in terms of creative industries and cultural tourism. 74 http://creativecorridor.ie/ The Region’s rich cultural offer includes visual and performing arts, music, spectator sports, festivals and carnivals and a diverse and innovative food scene. It also includes a unique natural and built heritage including National Parks and nature reserves, National Monuments and Cultural Institutions, historic cities, towns and villages. (see Chapter 7 Environment & Climate for more information on Natural Heritage). The Region also benefits from a growing community of Irish speakers, particularly in Dublin, which, with all of these other elements contributes to the Region’s opportunities to support and enhance cultural tourism. The role of arts, culture, and language in providing for enhanced wellbeing and social cohesiveness is recognised with participation in cultural activity directly linked to individual and societal wellbeing and quality of life. There is significant provision of arts and cultural facilities with nearly all national cultural institutions and several regionally significant facilities located in the Region. Additionally, arts and culture have a key role to play in highlighting the distinctiveness of place in our cities, towns and rural areas and they play a significant role in defining Ireland’s international profile, as a place of culture, learning and creativity, thus assisting to attract tourism and investment. Cultural tourism forms a central plank of the Irish tourism industry and a very significant generator of foreign exchange earnings (See Chapter 6 Economy and Employment). Cultural Heritage Cultural heritage is the fabric of our lives and societies. It surrounds us in the buildings of our towns and cities, our landscapes, natural sites, monuments and archaeological sites. Cultural heritage brings communities together and builds shared understandings of the places we live. Intangible cultural heritage refers to the practices and traditions that are central to the lives and identities of our communities, groups and individuals. Sustaining and investing in cultural infrastructure is a core consideration of the Strategy. The opportunities for economic development through support for the expansion of the creative industries, and in particular the audio visual sector, are also a focus under this RSES given the importance of Dublin and Wicklow to the sector nationally. There are significant opportunities for a co-ordinated national, regional and local approach to support the development of creative places (studios, performance spaces, collaborative work spaces) that meet local needs and aspirations. Local authorities provide a key link in the relationship between national policies and the cultural experience of people in their everyday lives. CASE STUDY: South Eastern Creative Corridor The South Eastern Creative Corridor74 is is an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in Wicklow and the South East which aims to support the development and growth of enterprises in the creative audio visual sector, including the animation and film industry, with the aim of job creation as well as the development of a sustainable creative industry cluster in the region. The year long business development programme was launched in Wicklow County Campus in 2016 and offered enterprise owners an intensive programme of training, mentoring, networking and access to finance in order to assist participating businesses to increase sales, improve profitability, explore new markets and take full advantage of the opportunities in the sector. Funding for the initiative, which was led by the Wicklow LEO, was provided by Enterprise Ireland under the Regional Action Plan for Jobs competitive fund. 214 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- Language The Eastern and Midland Region is diverse and multilingual. 2016 Census results show that 363,000 (15.6 %) of the Region’s residents spoke a foreign language, other than Irish or English at home, with Polish by far the most common language, followed by French, Romanian and Lithuanian. The total number of persons who could speak Irish in the Region was 787,000 (34%) of residents. In line with An Stráitséis Fiche Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010 – 2030 (20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 – 2030) ‘Investing in Our Culture, Language and Heritage’ seeks to develop a flagship Irish language and cultural hub in Dublin. There is also a commitment to expand the use of the Irish language as the community language of the Gaeltacht. There are two Gaeltacht districts within the Region, both in rural County Meath – Ráth Cairn and Baile Ghib. According to 2016 census returns, these Irish speaking communities have a population of 1,776 representing approximately 1.85% of the national Gaeltacht population. A Language Plan will be prepared for the Limistéir Pleanála Teanga (Language Planning District) for Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib in accordance with the Gaeltacht Act 2012. These Gaeltacht districts are endowed with a unique linguistic and cultural heritage and demonstrate significant capacity and capability in terms of its highly developed forms of social capital and community resilience. These dynamic social and communal features represent at once an important socioeconomic and sociolinguistic differentiator and also act as a key regional development asset which can contribute to efforts in achieving effective regional development objectives75. 75 The NPF supports the implementation of language plans in Galetacht Language Planning Areas, Gaeltacht Service Towns and Irish Language Networks (National Planning Objective 29). 76 http://www.discoveryprogramme.ie/ Archaeological Heritage The Region’s historic environment, represented in its built form, landscape heritage and archaeology, provides a depth of character that benefits the Region’s economy, culture and quality of life. The built environment, combined with its historic landscapes, provides a unique sense of place, whilst layers of architectural history provide an environment that is of local, national and international value. The Region’s heritage assets include World Heritage Sites, built and natural conservation areas, protected structures, parks and gardens, monuments, archaeological remains, canals and waterways, peatlands, hedgerows and ancient woodlands. The Region is home to the world renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site at Brú na Bóinne. In addition, the Region is home to a number of UNESCO candidate sites including the historic city of Dublin and medieval monastic sites at Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Glendalough, Kells and Monasterboice and representatives of the Royal Sites of Ireland at Dún Áilinne, Hill of Uisneach, and Tara Complex. CASE STUDY: CHERISH The CHERISH project76 (Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands), funded by the EU’s Ireland-Wales Programme, will employ new technologies to analyse coastal and island archaeology and heritage sites most affected by climate change. The project aims to raise awareness and understanding of the past, present and near future impacts of climate change, storminess and extreme weather events on the rich cultural heritage of the regional seas and coast, with Skerries Islands as one of the case studies. 215Quality of Life
- Architectural Heritage Local authorities, through their city and county development plans and designation through the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) and Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs), enable places of architectural value to be protected. Good heritage management should be incorporated into spatial planning to promote the benefits of heritage led urban regeneration in historic towns, for example through the protection of historic urban fabric, the reuse of historic buildings and the enhancement of places of special cultural or natural interest. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) is an invaluable built heritage resource for local authorities and the general public. The Region is home to towns and villages from medieval times such as Carlingford, Drogheda, Trim and Athlone to the historic planned towns such as Birr, Abbeyleix, Castlepollard and Tyrrellspass. Fishing villages are dotted along the east coast such as Clogherhead, Balbriggan, Skerries, Dalkey and Arklow. The Region is home to a number of designated Irish Heritage Towns; Dalkey, Trim, Kells, Kildare, Athy, Baltinglass, Abbeyleix, Tullamore and Birr. These built heritage assets are a non-renewable resource that contribute to our understanding of our past, and the well-being and quality of life of our current citizens and also represent an opportunity for sustainable economic development. The repair and reuse of historic buildings is an integral part of sustainable development. Design consideration should promote the regeneration of historic buildings to provide contemporary family homes. The provision of high quality public realm and recreational spaces are also considerations for encouraging and promoting urban living and can make urban living more attractive. Many of our historic towns retain fragmentary remnants of their former medieval defences. The Irish Walled Town Initiative is a network of medieval towns across Ireland supported by the Heritage Council. There are 8 walled towns in the Region – Ardee, Carlingford, Drogheda, Castledermot, Athy, Athlone, Trim and Dublin. Heritage Led Regeneration Planning for the regeneration of a historic town needs an integrated approach that balances the protection of the built heritage and the sustainable development of historic urban areas with the needs of modern living and takes account of the concerns and aspirations of the community and key stakeholders. This requires the coordination and management of sometimes conflicting demands and interests of different stakeholders. However, the development of a common vision for the town, supported by a coordinated and integrated series of objectives and a programme of realistic, achievable actions, will balance the conservation of the heritage with the needs of those who live in and use the historic town. Bringing unused or underused spaces within our towns back into use has many advantages. In addition to reviving the economic value of an urban area, it also removes abandoned and derelict sites, and reduces the pressure to build on greenfield sites, on valuable agricultural land. Local distinctiveness is key to each town having a unique selling point. The character and distinctiveness of the historic built environment are central to the future success of Irish towns. There are opportunities for local authorities and other stakeholders to target funding initiatives for heritage led regeneration. Other initiatives to promote placemaking and the economic vibrancy of historic town centres include the Navan Town Centre Health Check and Wicklow and Balbriggan historic public realm plans, which are linked to the statutory local area plans. Community led village design statements were also piloted in Julianstown (rural pilot) and Sandymount (urban pilot), in partnership with Meath County Council and Dublin City Council. 216 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES: Arts, Culture, Language and Heritage RPO 9.24: Promote and facilitate the role of arts and culture in recognition of its importance to people’s identity and the potential for economic development through a unique cultural tourism offering throughout the Region. RPO 9.25: Seek to work with all relevant stakeholders to promote equality of access to and engagement with arts and cultural services and in the promotion of culture and heritage led urban and rural regeneration. RPO 9.26: Seek to build on the success and support the clustering of the film and audio visual sector in the Dublin and Wicklow areas and to support training of film workers and crew around the Region, as well as exploiting opportunities for the industry outside of these hubs. RPO 9.27: EMRA will support local authorities to work with local communities to promote historic towns in the Region in the practice of heritage led regeneration, to promote the sensitive and adaptive reuse of historic building stock and industrial structures where appropriate, and to strengthen their capability to draw down European and national funding. RPO 9.28: Support the implementation of language plans for the Region’s Gaeltachts and the identification of Gaeltacht Service Towns and Irish Language Networks in the Region, and to promote the development of the Gaeltacht in Meath in a manner that protects and enhances the distinctive linguistic and cultural heritage, whilst meeting the needs and aspirations of both residents and visitors alike. RPO 9.29: Support the designation of the UNESCO candidate sites in the Region. RPO 9.30: Support the sensitive reuse of protected structures. 217Quality of Life
- 10 Infrastructure 10.1 Introduction The sustainable growth of the Region requires the provision of services and infrastructure in a plan led manner to ensure that there is adequate capacity to support future development. High-quality infrastructure is an important element of a modern society and economy, it provides essential functions and services that support societal, economic and environmental systems at local, regional and national levels. It strengthens economic growth through enhancing efficiency, productivity and competitiveness, creates sustainable and attractive places, and underpins social cohesion through providing vital facilities for people in the form of schools, public transport, healthcare and housing. Ireland’s abundant natural and environmental resources such as our water sources are critical to our environmental and economic wellbeing into the future. Conserving and enhancing the quality of these resources will also become more important in a crowded and competitive world as well as our capacity to create beneficial uses from products previously considered as waste, creating circular economic benefits. The key driver for this chapter is the key principle of climate action and environmental sustainability generally. The RSES has identified a number of key Regional Strategic Outcomes which include sustainable management of water and other resources, supporting the transition to a low carbon economy by 2050 and building climate resilience, amongst others. 218 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- 10.2 Sustainable Management of Water Regional Context With finite resources and an emphasis on environmental compliance and network upgrades, future investment in water services to accommodate growth will need to be focused. In this context balanced growth that supports the efficient and effective use of existing infrastructure will be a key consideration in ensuring the sustainable social and economic growth of Ireland into the future. The quantum, location and distribution of planned development must have regard to the capacity of public water services and seek to make efficient use of and maximise the capacity of existing and planned water services infrastructure. EMRA supports the development of Drinking Water Protection Plans in line with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive and the current and future cycles of River Basin Management Plans. In this regard, EMRA supports the inclusion of objectives in city and county development plans relating to the provision of mitigation and protection measures for all protected areas, including Drinking Water Protected Areas and associated Source Protection Plans. A key priority for the Region is to ensure that the water supply and waste water needs are met by new national projects to enhance the water supply and increase waste water treatment capacity for the Region. Irish Water will need to consider contingency plans to address any potential delays in the delivery of projects to ensure resilience of water supply and waste water treatment for the Region. 219Infrastructure
- Water Supply Water supply for the wider Dublin area is at critical levels of demand and to facilitate further growth in line with NPF population growth projections, prioritisation of water supply investment should occur. The importance of investing in the Region’s infrastructure to ensure it remains a competitive location is recognised. Irish Water has identified key projects for the Region which are included in Project Ireland 2040 to support planned development and maintain and improve existing services. Specifically, the Water Supply Project for the Eastern & Midlands Region is required to ensure sufficient treated water is available to meet the long-term water supply needs of the Region to provide for projected growth up to 2050 and contribute to resilience and security of supply for the Region. In the absence of the Water Supply Project there will be an issue with servicing growth. The benefiting corridor for the project will provide a new water supply for most of the Region and is a key element of realising potential across the Region. The project aims to meet the domestic and commercial needs of over 40% of Ireland’s population in the medium to long term future (up to 2050). The development of a new rural settlement investment approach, coordinating Irish Water, local authority, developer and community led solutions to ensuring that sustainable water services solutions are progressively implemented should be encouraged. Irish Water’s National Water Resources Plan is due to be prepared and EMRA will engage fully with Irish Water in its preparation of same. The approach in the Region should be to ensure that water is used as efficiently as possible, address water wastage, water conservation and reduce leakage, minimising demand for capital investment. Table 10.1: Strategic Water Services Projects The Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midland Region to supply water to the Greater Dublin Area and other communities in the Eastern and Midlands Region Irish Water’s National Programme of Investment to tackle leakage through find and fix (active leakage control) and water mains rehabilitation Vartry Water Supply Scheme The Rural Water Programme 220 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
Source Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly: Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019–2031 (June 2019) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.